HARNESSING THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES AND RESEARCH

Technology is a key factor in improving productivity and
efficiency in the utilization of natural resources and for
improving human well-being.

Technology affects human development in two
important ways (UN Millennium Project 2005b). First,
innovation can directly increase the ability of existing
science, technology and innovation programmes to
reduce poverty and expand human capabilities, as is
evident through technological innovations in public
health, agriculture, energy use, and ICT. Second,
technology can indirectly affect human well-being by
enhancing productivity and increasing economic growth
and incomes through, among other things, promoting
economic growth.

The adoption of technologies for more efficient and
cleaner production activities, as well as for value-adding
activities by small entrepreneurs, is severely
constrained by the lack of adequate income as well as
inadequate information. Ensuring the uptake of
technologies will thus need multidimensional responses
that improve the overall capabilities of people.

Unfortunately, local development of technology in
Africa related to natural resources has been very slow,
leading to over-reliance on technology developed
elsewhere (FAO 2003). In most cases, this technology is
linked to FDI, with a principal focus on maximizing
profits. The development of appropriate technologies
that address African priorities and that are responsive
to local conditions has not been a focus of research.
Nevertheless, new technologies, developed globally,
particularly in the areas of ICT, biotechnology (or
genomics), nanotechnology, materials science, and
spatial information technology potentially offer
important opportunities for development, improving
human well-being and sustainable environmental
management (UN Millennium Project 2005b).

Increasingly, African countries are exploring the
opportunities and risks posed by these new
technologies. Chapter 9: Genetically Modified Crops, for
example, considers the diverse claims made about
opportunities for development of biotechnology. Many
African countries recognize the value of ICT, not only for
stimulating the economy, but also for environmental
management. Some African countries are investing in
the application of ICT for planning, management and
monitoring of environmental resources. Ghana, for
instance, is using ICT to facilitate the mainstreaming of
environment in its Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
(PRSP) and development plans in its district assemblies.
A novel aspect of this ICT application is the intricate
networking that involves the presidency, the national
parliament, the ministry of finance, ministry of local
government, and the national development and
planning commission: this enhances access and
utilization of a common pool of information for decision
making (Opio-Odongo and Woodsworth 2004).

In most African countries there is relatively low
investment in research activities as a percentage of
GDP. However, research is important for improving
responses and enhancing capabilities and thus this
needs to be urgently addressed through the
development of partnerships, stable investment
environments, and legal and policy frameworks that
provide for fair and equitable intellectual property
rights. Research into various environmental goods and services,
such as wetlands and forest lands, can make a
difference in how they are used and the extent to which
value is added to them. Apart from research based on
modern knowledge, the value of traditional or
indigenous knowledge needs to be acknowledged
within Africa. There are various initiatives, particularly in
the NGO sector, which seek to apply this knowledge to
product development. In the pharmaceutical and
cosmetic sector, industry has had a keen interest in how
to use this knowledge, as shown in Box 8. The existing
genetic and intellectual property regimes do not offer
sufficient protection of these assets, thus allowing the
benefits associated with their use to be externalized.

Increased investment in research by Africa will need
to be complemented by a greater global commitment
to the transfer of technology and the more equitable
sharing of the benefits associated with this.

Box 8: Using traditional knowledge for diet drug development

Hoodia gordonii (hoodia) is a cactus plant found in Southern Africa.
The San people of the Kalahari, one of the world’s oldest indigenous
peoples, are reputed to have been eating the hoodia plant for
thousands of years, to stave off hunger during long hunting trips.
The South African Council on Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR) identified the P57 substance in the plant, a group of steroidal
glycosides, which is an active appetite suppressant. Given high levels
of obesity, particularly in developed countries, there has been
considerable interest in the potential economic value of this plant.
In 1995, a patent application was filed in Europe, and on 27 January
2005 the patent was granted in an appeal of the European court. In
1997, the CSIR licensed the UK-based Phytopharm, which in turn
licensed drug giant Pfizer the following year, for P57 development and
global marketing. Unilever has since acquired the rights to develop and
market hoodia as an ingredient in its weight-loss products,
The South African San Council, set up in November 2001 and
representing the Khomani, the Xun and the Khwe, demanded
recognition of their knowledge and a share of benefits arising from
product development. After protracted negotiations – spanning three
years – a benefit sharing agreement was reached in 2004 between the
South African San Council and CSIR. The CSIR will pay the San 8 per
cent of milestone payments made by its licensee, Phytopharm, during
the drug’s clinical development over the next three to four years. The
San could earn 6 per cent of all royalties if and when the drug is
marketed, possibly in 2008.
Establishing this agreement faced various challenges:

Traditional knowledge, being community-owned and handed down
through generations, clashes with international property rights,
which view knowledge as owned by an individual or a company.

Indigenous knowledge is often held by communities who live in
different countries. In this case, the San Councils of Namibia,
Botswana, Zambia and Angola will share the monies in percentages
to be decided at their next general meeting.

Hoodia gordonii (hoodia).
Source: E. Powell

Income will go into a San Hoodia Benefit Trust set up by the CSIR and
the San. The Trust includes representatives of the CSIR, the regional
San Councils, the Working Group of Indigenous Minorities in Southern
Africa (WIMSA), and an observer from the South African Department of
Science and Technology.